The Cherished Hope
by Cerulean Blue
Summary: Sarah comes back from the Labyrinth and vows to be a better sister to Toby. The Goblin King is outside her window and laments for how he will have to wait for her 21st Birthday to bring her back Underground. Please enjoy and R/R!


Title: The Cherished Hope  
Rating: PG, I think...  
Genre: Romance all the way!   
  
Hello everyone!   
Cerulean Blue here! This is my first fanfic that I am posting for Labyrinth on this site. This is a romance story between Jareth and Sarah. I am kind of new at this so please be kind with your reviews and don't flame me, just use constructive criticism, if you feel the need. Thank you, and please review!  
  
"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."  
~Acts 4:12  
  
"I spread out my hands to You; my soul thirsts for You like a parched land. Rescue me from my enemies, O Lord, for I hide myself in You. Teach me to do your will, for You are my God; may Your good spirit lead me on level ground."  
~Psalms 143: 6, 9-10  
  
Standard Disclaimer (you knew this was coming, right?): I don't own Labyrinth, never will, but I can wish, can't I? Don't sue, I don't have enough money to make it worth your while.  
  
~~~*~~~  
The morning after Sarah returned from the Labyrinth...  
  
The luminous orange disk rose from behind the misty mountaintops, bathing Sarah Williams in a dazzling shroud of sunlight as she turned over groggily in her bed, trying to use her pillow as a covert to hide her eyes from the brightness. Her brunette hair generously flowed all around her, slightly mussed from her fitful slumber the night before. In vain she struggled to stay in the comforting arms of sleep, but her alarm clock was conspiring against her. The alarm went off, sounding an annoying beep every few seconds. Frustrated, Sarah slapped the clock off her bed stand and onto the floor. She battled her way out of the constricting blankets and started to get ready for school mindlessly. As she walked to her bathroom that adjoined to her room, her eyes fell on the red leather bound book entitled the Labyrinth, sitting harmlessly on her book shelf. Seeing the cause of her problems that had happened only last night triggered her memories of all the events that had taken place. Sarah shook her head in realization. It had not been a dream or flight of fancy. She had wished Toby away, traversed the Labyrinth, met Hoggle, Ludo, Sir Didymus, had beaten the arrogant Goblin King at his own game . . . or had she? Was Toby alright? Had she really saved him from Jareth and being turned into a Goblin?  
  
Powered by her sudden fear, she raced down the hall into Toby's nursery at top speed and skidded to a stop outside the door. Sarah paused, her hand touching the knob of the door. She was frightened to death that she might find an empty crib, if in fact she had not succeeded in her endeavor to save Toby. Hesitantly the knob turned, exposing the quiet nursery within. With a deep breath, Sarah entered and prepared herself for whatever she might find. In the crib, peacefully asleep under the covers, was Toby. Sarah's heart rejoiced at the sight and she stroked his blonde hair gently, to make sure he was not an illusion.   
  
'He's here, he's ok! Calm down, Sarah, you rescued him! He's alright!' Sarah thought, giddy with happiness that her step-brother was unharmed. Then Sarah's mood turned to bewilderment as she recalled how selfish she had been the night before. 'I cannot believe that I was immature enough to wish you away Toby. I promise I will make it up to you somehow. I am going to be the most loving sister to you, sweet Toby,' she vowed silently. With one last loving caress to his golden hair, Sarah silently departed from the room, her dread assuaged.  
  
~~~*~~~  
Several minutes before Sarah got up...  
  
A snow white owl lurked outside of the girl's bedroom window, making his perch on the grand old oak tree that stood directly across from Sarah's room. He seemed to merge with the shadows, making him almost disappear into the blackness of the night. The figure continued to watch the occupant of the bedroom, and a longing look shimmered in his expressive eyes.  
  
The whole situation with Sarah getting her hands on the Labyrinth had puzzled the Goblin King from the start. How she had gotten to it he knew not, all he was sure of was that it was never meant to happen. Her wishing away her brother, traveling the Labyrinth, and beating him while doing so, had never been in his plan to woo Sarah. This had ruined all of his scheming and undone his chances of Sarah having an unbiased first opinion of him. She saw him as a monster, a villain to be defeated, and now he was stuck in that stereotype until he gave her reason to change it, if he could even convince her.   
  
That would not be easy, however, his Sarah was a stubborn Fae, just as himself. No, she was not mortal as she claimed out of ignorance to be. She was of his race, the Fae. And what was more, she was royalty, the princess, and in six year's time she would be Queen of the Fae, with his help.   
  
Her mother, Queen Katiana, had been exiled to Aboveground because she had been "fooling around" with men other than the king. Once she had been banished, she was forbidden to ever step foot in the Underground again. The queen had been pregnant at the time of her banishment and knew her child was of the king. Katiana communicated with her former husband through a crystal she had smuggled Aboveground. He wanted the child back as soon as he or she was born, but Katiana pleaded to not be separated so soon from the child. The king struck a bargain with her instead. He proposed that once the prince or princess reached the customary age of 21, he or she would return to the Underground to be coronated as King or Queen and take up his/her duties. The queen had no choice but to agree, the king was being generous just letting her have a few years with the child. After the child was born, Katiana once again contacted the king to tell him it was a girl and that she would be named Sephrina. Over the first several years, Katiana kept the king informed on how "Sarah"(Sephrina was too long a name for such a small child) was progressing in her studies of magic. In Sarah's third year however, Katiana was killed in a car accident. When he heard of this, the Fae King decided that Sephrina should come back to live in the Underground. Unfortunately, he lost track of where his daughter was and had to send search parties to retrieve her from the mortal realm. This was a lengthy process however, for the queen had given little details as to where she and the child were hid. The Fae guards tried to read magic auras on earth, but found their powers were not strong enough in the land where there was no magic. They therefore had to search manually for Sarah. By the time they found Sephrina, she was 14 and had forgotten her heritage and any magic she might have learned from her deceased mother. Sephrina had been adopted by Robert Williams and his wife, Linda Williams, shortly after Katiana's death. The Fae King felt it best to leave her there until she was twenty one, so as not to transplant her from her surroundings again. Once she was twenty-one she would have enough understanding and proudly return her to her rightful place as Queen of the Fae.  
  
The Goblin King at the time (which had been Jareth's father) and the Fae King had struck a bargain when they found the baby would be a girl. Jareth's father had seen that the child would be his son's soul mate, so he arranged a betrothal between his 10 year old Jareth and the Fae princess, still in her mother's womb.  
  
The whole ordeal with Sarah wishing Toby away should never have happened, and now that Jareth had met her outside seeing her in his crystals, as he had done before, he was more enamored than ever!   
  
Knowing he would have to soon depart, Jareth tried to commit to memory Sarah's dark tresses and exquisite face, and the elegant curve of her chin. Jareth hoped to take in every little detail of her before he would have to leave when the sun rose. Jareth wished the night would go on forever so he would never again be required to leave his beloved's side. She was so lovely, even now when she was merely fifteen and a half, stuck between womanhood and childhood. He could not wait to have her! But he knew he must. How he abhorred waiting from getting what he wanted! He knew, however, that she was too young to accept what was destined to happen between them. Her duty would later obligate her to become his bride, although she would remain naive until she was 21. Six years would be long to wait, but he would watch her through his crystals to make sure she would not be sullied by some mortal boy.  
  
'Yes,' he thought, 'Six more years and her destiny will with me will be revealed to her and I will not longer have to wait. I will court her affections in her dreams and than at long last my hunger and longing for her will be sated.' For the next six years, watching her through his crystals with an occasional visit in her dreams would have to suffice.   
  
'She might not feel love for me now, but I must give her reason and make her love me as I do her. Dreams of the Labyrinth will be enough at first. First, dreams of her adventure and friends, and then I will narrow the dreams to include only situations with her and me to see how she reacts. She feels something, she was not indifferent at the ball dancing in my arms. I saw something there, I hope against hope it was the beginning of affection or love. Sweet Sarah, whether you know it or not now, you are mine for eternity!'  
  
The Goblin King laughed inwardly at that titillating thought and took off from his leafy perch. He could not be seen intruding by his lovely Sarah, lest he give the game away too soon. She may have been destined for him from before she was born, but he knew his skeptical Sarah. She would not be convinced of anything until she had solid proof and a reason to want something. Jareth was sure he could give her both to ease the qualms she would certainly have.  
  
He let out a throaty hoot and soared back to the Underground. He spared one glance back to Sarah through her open window, where he saw her sleeping peacefully. 'I will see you in our dreams, sweet. Fare thee well!'  
  
~~~*~~~  
Well . . . how was it? Good? Bad? Ugly? Please review so I know if it is worth continuing! Again, thanks for reading it!  
  
Ceru-chan  



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